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Scriptural literacy, says Elizabeth Scalia in today’s column , rests on a nuanced understanding of the traditional family.

Tobit’s themes of exile and rejection, marital strife, separation anxiety, thwarted intimacy, and the wish for death make for a timely read in light of Smith’s and Eberstadt’s books, but in chapter ten of this story—populated by ordinary people experiencing feelings to which we moderns can easily relate—we find one of the most comprehensive descriptions of what marriage means to family and what family means to faith . . . .

Read the full column here .

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